Justice League: Every Villain In The Snyder Cut

The Justice League Snyder Cut will include appearances by numerous DC villains. Upon its theatrical release in 2017, Justice League was criticized from a number of different angles, with the principal antagonist Steppenwolf being singled-out as a weak villain. However, as with countless aspects of the film, his role was vastly different from what Zack Snyder had planned for the film.

While Steppenwolf was intended as a general for the forces of Apokolips, he was not meant to hold up the entire movie single-handedly, with there having been multiple other villains present in Snyder’s conception of Justice League. What’s more, numerous teases Snyder has made on social media position Steppenwolf as a far more menacing threat in the Snyder Cut. Also, while it isn’t known for certain if Snyder plans to revert to the original design for Steppenwolf, seen in his appearance in the Ultimate Edition of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, for the Snyder’s Cut’s HBO Max debut in 2021, given the resources he’s been granted for the film (which will seemingly be greater than the amount that was originally reported), it isn’t out of the realm of possibility.

Though Steppenwolf will still be as much of a major player in the Snyder Cut as he was in Justice League‘s theatrical version, he is also set to be joined by multiple other villains. Some of the characters in question had been cut altogether and will be seen for the first time in the Snyder Cut, while others didn’t appear, but their roles in Snyder’s movie will either be somewhat more significant or carry a different context. Here are the villains confirmed to be present in the Justice League Snyder Cut.

Lex Luthor

Although Lex Luthor only appears in a post-credits cameo in Justice League, Jesse Eisenberg revealed in late 2019 that he filmed a few more scenes for the movie. While he didn’t go into further detail, the available information suggests that Lex Luthor functions as more of a gateway to the invasion from Apokolips in the Snyder Cut. In particular, Lex’s journals will seemingly play in a crucial role in the film, likely involving Batman retrieving them from Lex in prison, and then utilizing them in his formation of the League and his preparation for the battle against Apokolips. Snyder also said Lex would be important for Darkseid’s plan during his Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice live-stream commentary. Additionally, Lex’s appearance in the film overlaps with that of another villain.

Deathstroke

Slade Wilson aka Deathstroke was seen opposite Lex Luthor at the end credits of the theatrical version of Justice League. Though Deathstroke likely won’t appear anywhere else in the Snyder Cut beyond his scene with Lex, the context of their meeting in the film is significantly different. Specifically, the theatrical version involved Lex summoning Slade to his yacht as part of his efforts to form “a League of our own.” However, Snyder’s version of this scene was to feature at the end of the actual movie, showing Lex hiring Slade to take out Batman. This, in turn, was meant to provide a set up for Slade’s role as the villain of Ben Affleck’s planned Batman solo film.

Darkseid

Darkseid was only mentioned by name in the theatrical cut once, with Steppenwolf proclaiming “For the Unity! For Darkseid!” in one scene. However, he will be seen in a far greater capacity as the major driving force behind the invasion from Apokolips in the Snyder Cut, where he is portrayed by Ray Porter. This includes Darkseid’s presence in the history lesson, in which he faces off with Ares, with Snyder describing him as “just a baby” at this point, indicating a relatively young take on Darkseid in the movie. This is further supported by Snyder having also referenced Darkseid by his birth name of “Uxas“. Aside from the history lesson, it is known that Darkseid will also be seen in the Snyder Cut via a further glimpse of the Knightmare, along with being seen by the League on the other side of a Boom Tube at the end.

Desaad

The cruel torturer of Apokolips, Desaad was another of the many characters who were cut altogether from the version of Justice League released into theaters. At the moment, there aren’t any major details regarding Desaad’s appearance in the Snyder Cut, though his role in the movie is a decidedly minor one, with Steppenwolf’s line from the 2017 Comic-Con trailer “No protectors here. No Lanterns, No Kryptonian. This world will fall, like all the others” being spoken by Steppenwolf to Desaad. Aside from that, it was also revealed in 2019 that Desaad was portrayed in the film by Peter Guinness.

“The Whole Family” On Apokolips

Snyder hasn’t made many social media teases or other comments to fans of Apokoloptian characters in the Snyder Cut aside from Darkseid, Desaad, and a few glimpses at Steppenwolf not seen in theatrical version. However, the aforementioned ending of Darkseid looking back at the League from the other side of a Boom Tube also included, in Snyder’s words, Darkseid’s “massive invasion force (aka the whole family)”. This opens the possibility of Darkseid’s daughter Grail and his sons Grayven, Kalibak, and the non-villainous Orion also being visible alongside him. Considering the set-up the ending was meant to provide for Justice League 2, Snyder’s use of the word “family” here could also be somewhat broad, especially being preceded by the “massive invasion force” description, meaning some Furies, other members of Darskseid’s Elite, and even a sizeable swarm of additional Parademons could also theoretically be glimpsed in the new Boom Tube ending, as well.

The details that have been revealed about the Snyder Cut demonstrate the movie not only having an infinitely grander scope than the theatrical cut, but that the villains appearing in varying capacities were also bolster a weaker villain like Steppenwolf as part of a larger, more sinister plan while also creating multiple avenues for the DCEU to expand its canon, especially with respect to DC’s Fourth World elements. Whether this ends up happening with the villains who will either finally be seen or who whose roles will at last have their intended context restored in Zack Snyder’s Justice League is still a coin toss. However, in world where Michael Keaton is now in talks to return as Bruce Wayne in The Flash, all bets completely are off when it comes to the DCEU.

About The Author

Brad Curran
(714 Articles Published)

Growing up, Brad developed an innate love of movies and storytelling, and was instantly enamored with the world of adventure while following the exploits of Indiana Jones, Japanese kaiju, and superheroes. Today, Brad channels his thoughts on all manner of movies, from comic book films, sci-fi thrillers, comedies, and everything in between through his writings on Screen Rant. Brad also offers philosophical musings on martial arts and the filmographies of everyone from Jackie Chan to Donnie Yen on Kung Fu Kingdom, where he’s also had the privilege of interviewing many of the world’s great stunt professionals, and hearing plenty of gripping stories on injuries incurred in their line of work and the intricacies of designing the acts of death defiance he first thrilled to as a youngster. When he’s not writing, Brad enjoys going on a ride with the latest action hit or Netflix original, though he’s also known to just pop in “The Room” from time to time. Follow Brad on Twitter @BradCurran.

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